Floor maintenance machine



July 17, 1951 w;E HOLT 2,561,279

FLOOR MAINTENANCE MACHINE Filed July 27, 1945 1 WNW 3 42 2 H 1 3/ v INVENTOR VVz'Z/iam EJ 1 015 XAT QRNEY Patented July 17, 1951 FLOOE' M AINTENANCE MACHINE W illiami-E. Holt, Oakland,-Calif. 7

Application "July'27, IMSgSfial ram-semen 6 .Claims (Clr15' r-491)" The present invention relates to the construe-.2

tion andoperation of floor maintenance machines,

and-rmore' particularly to machines. of. the char.-: acter. described comprising a motor driven, floor surfacing. element arranged to rotate about-a ver-r ticalaxis whenin use;

The rotary surfacing element-of such machines normally consists of a brush member having-an annular wooden base detachably securedin a'pre'a determined position to a rotary drive element and in:which base tufts of wire, hair or fiber are em-.

bedded inany suitable. manner." The :tufts are initiallypositioned and. trimmed to. provide a level:

brushing :surface: as well .as. .to dynamically 'ba1'-. ance the brushmember. If. however the tufts areimproperlyitrimmed or Wear, unevenly or tufts are lost;-the brush member i thrown out of dynamic balance and tends :to wobble relative'to.

the drive mechanism. The effect is .usually'cumue lative and tends to cause rapid and unevenzweare ing. ofpthe'tuftsr: Also vwhen machines of.this type are "used on rough or irregular. floor surfaces; thexbrush member often .tendsitocxwhip;or hop,

producing an uneven; surfacing. eifectxand impos ing undesirabletorque stresses on'th'e' drive mech:

anism.

The general object. of my invention is-the provision of a floor maintenance machine having an improved drive connection between the drive mechanism and rotary surfacing element which tends to keep torque stresses on. the drive mecha nism due to uneven. brushing. or 'fioor. surfaces. ata minimum and thus provide a long. lifefo'r. both; the rotary surfacing I element and drive mechanism. A further and more specific object is. the provision ofan improvedform'ofconnecting. bracket which provides a selfeleveling detachable. drive connection between the rotary surfacing.

elementand the drive mechanism.

The various features of novelty which char.

acterize my invention are pointed out-with pare ticularity-in'the claims'annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a betterunder standing of .the invention, -it-s.'operatin'g advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference-should be had to theaccompanyingdraw-- ing. and I descriptive matter I in .which: I have illus-x.

tratedand described. a prefer-red embodiment of my invention.

Of thedrawingsr Fig. 1 is an-elevation of a portion-olev floor maintenance machine of the general type :to

which my invention is applicable;

Fig. 2 is an.enlarged view 'of'portionsxioftthe; drive mechanism; and. brush-:member, i-with' parts";

21% broken-1 away.- andaiin'rsection on.- the line 2-I-2 loft. Fig. 4;

Fig. 3 Lisa vertical section taken.on thel-inei3ea-3 i' Fig 4 is -'a bottcm view *ZOf thB." drive: connection;. and z;

Figilfi-isa bottonmperspectiw ofithevconnectlng bracket:

In. the floor mainte'nance machine illustrated a Wheeled. carriage-is. formed by: an 'annulardown wardly-fiaring-zcasing :I E3; on theireansideof' which. a pair of:supporting-wheels iii are tiltablyimourrt edzt. An-z inclineds-integral:socket izitprojects reari-f" wandly from -'.thexcasing.l .i ii 'and receivesa hollow;

. handle; member 1 3"" by -which the machineis die:

restedebysthecroperator:c The handle -rnember-' serves asaavconduitrfor the: eleotricaltconnections:

l drifromv-any:suitablespowerhsource; to an electric shaft: 2 0'. Rotation "of xthe shellwis Leife'cted b y a spur: gear 2 iii-on fthe shaft: 2 it driving an internal: ring: :gear: :2 6* on the shell .througlr idler-gears 1 2 1 inra welllmown manner:

The rotary surfacing element shown in' abrushl 1 member 30 comprising an annular wooden base 3 l' inswhioh; a multiplicity; ofztuftcrd 2 on wire;. sfiber or: hair rarerembeddedixrand trimmed to xformgaz level'mbrushing:isurface; In-iaccorda-nce withamy inventionsa readilytdetachablef driver connection between: the flowersectionzifi 3i: ofrtheerotaryrshelli anda: the: brush t member :3 II; is established Aby a" as special bracket fl B 1which:rfits 'sintoix'the ."circu'lar; opening; 33-. in the; base 73 I i-and ads 2 supported-fin. that position iby'1prejecting:.dlangeg-wi i? which restz:

' on i and .are secured*ttoatheeupper surfa'cezrofwther base: by SCIETWSIQZiELAtLthIBS syrmnetrically'spaced' points zon'sthe ;'unde'rside: iofi 'tl'lailbliafiktf substamr- F. tiallyi opposite --Lto;::th'e flanges: 4 I, integrals-lugs: or: stop; member-@ 43 extend downwardly? r The: lugs:

have a fiatiiverticalzface 43a'ontoneside andattha opposite. sides. taper :toiward the" :surface offthe bra-cketi At s,ymm'etrically3 zarrangedizpointss inn; ter-mediate the: :lugs .3431; the :in'ner' edge Gill-the? bracket is cut away to formwoutwardly;tapered.

recessesard 5:: Betweenieach ofrthe recessesafl 5. and

the adjacent lug face 43*, a relatively stiff flat spring 46 is secured at one end to the underside of the bracket adjacent the corresponding recess with its free end downwardly bent away from the bracket into a substantially horizontal plane and terminating adjacent the lug face 43*. At symmetrically spaced points on the periphery of the lower shell section 23 corresponding to the location of the recesses 45, short integral lugs 41 of substantially rectangular cross-section and a shape permitting passage through the recesses 45, project from the shell with their upper urfaces at a level corresponding to the level of the plane of the fiat springs 46.

With the described construction, the brush member 30 is readily mounted in the machine by tilting the machine and positioning the bracket electric motor, a horizontally arranged rotary surfacing element, and means forming a drive connection between said motor and said rotary surfacing element including a vertical drive shaft driven by said motor, a rotary shell surrounding and driven by said shaft, a plurality of symmetrically arranged peripheral drive lugs projecting from said shell, a bracket mounted on said rotary surfacing element and having recesses therein adapted to receive said drive lugs, spring means on the underside of said bracket at positions angularly adjacent said recesses and arranged to recesses 45 so as to pass over the lugs 41 and then angularly moving the brush member counter to the designed direction of brush rotation until the a lugs 41 pass under and in resilient contact with the springs 46 until they abut the faces 43 of the corresponding stop members 43. In this position, the upper surface of the bracket will be in contact with the peripheral flange on the shell section 23 and the springs 46 will exert a downward pressure on the drive lugs 41. In detaching the brush member, the operation is reversed.

With the described drive connection between the motor 15 and the brush member 30, a positive drive is effected, while at the same time the resilient support of the brush member on the drive lugs 41 permits a limited movement of the brush member vertically relative to the shell 2| without disrupting the drive connection. This capacity for limited relative vertical movement between these parts allows the brush member to effect the desired surfacing action on rough or uneven floor surfaces without whipping and hopping. The resilient vertical contact of the parts tends to maintain the brushing surface in the same plane for all normal variations in tuft wear. Torque stress is kept to a minimum, insuring a long life to both the brush member and machine.

1 While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes I have illustrated and described herein the best form of the invention now known to me, those skilled in the art will understand that changes may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention covered by my claims, and that certain features of my invention may sometimes be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

' I claim:

1. A floor maintenance machine comprising an electric motor, a horizontally arranged rotary surfacing element, and means forming a drive connection between said motor and said rotary surfacing element including a rotary member driven by said motor, a plurality of symmetrically arranged peripheral lugs projecting from said rotary member, a bracket mounted on said rotary surfacing element and having recesses therein adapted to receive said lugs, spring means on the underside of said bracket at positions angularly adjacent said recesses and arranged to exert a resilient downward pressure on said lugs when said lugs are relatively moved through the corresponding recesses and angularly to positions below corresponding spring means, and stop members on the underside of said bracket arranged to limit the relative angular movement of said lugs and bracket.

4 2. -A floor maintenance machine comprising an exert a resilient downward pressure on said drive lugs when said drive lugs are relatively moved through the corresponding recesses and angularly to positions below the angularly adjacent portions of said bracket, and stop means on said bracket arranged to abut said drive lugs to limit the relative angular movement of said drive lugs and bracket and provide a drive connection therebetween.

3. A'floor maintenance machine comprising an electric motor, a horizontally arranged rotary surfacing element, and means forming a drive connection between said motor and said rotary surfacing element including a rotary member driven by said motor, a plurality of symmetrically arranged peripheral lugs projecting from said rotary member, a bracket mounted on said rotary surfacing element and having recesses therein adapted to receive said lugs, flat springs mounted on the underside of said bracket at postions angularly adjacent said recesses and arranged to exert a resilient downward pressure on said lugs when said lugs are relatively moved through the corresponding recesses and angularly to positions below corresponding flat springs, and stop members on the underside of said bracket arranged to limit the relative angular movement of said lugs and bracket.

4. A floor maintenance machine comprising an electric motor, a horizontally arranged rotary surfacing element, and means forming a drive connection between said motor and said rotary surfacing element including a vertical drive shaft driven by said motor, a rotary shell surrounding and driven by said shaft, a plurality of symmetrically arranged peripheral drive lugs projecting from said shell, a bracket mounted on said rotary surfacing element and having recesses therein adapted to receive said drive lugs, flat springs mounted on the underside of said bracket at positions angularly adjacent said recesses and arranged to exert a resilient downward pressure on said drive lugs when said drive lugs are relatively moved through the corresponding recesses to positions below corresponding flat springs, and integral stop members on the underside of said bracket at the opposite end of said springs from said recesses arranged to abut said drive lugs to limit the relative angular movement of said drive lugs and bracket and provide a drive connection therebetween.

5. A rotary brush support bracket having an annular body With angularly spaced recesses'in the inner periphery thereof, flat springs mounted on and extending in spaced relation along the underside of said bracket at positions angularly adjacent said recesses, and a depending stop member on the underside of said bracket at the opposite end of each of said springs from-said recesses.

6. A rotary brush support bracket'having'an annular flat body with angularly spaced recesses in the inner periphery thereof adapted to receive corresponding drive lugs, fiat springs mounted on and extending in spaced relation along the underside of said bracket at positions angularly adjacent said recesses and arranged to exert a resilient downward pressure on said drive lugs when said drive lugs are relatively moved through the corresponding recesses to positions below said springs, and depending integral stop members on the underside of said bracket at the opposite end of said springs from said recesses arranged to abut said drive lugs to limit the angular movement of said drive lugs relative to said bracket to a position below the corresponding fiat springs.

WILLIAM E. HOLT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

